Baby towel

ABSTRACT

A towel and apron to be worn when bathing an infant and easily removable for drying. Towels varying in size and shape are partially separated near a corner to form a collar to removably secure in place around the neck with fasteners. The upper corner above the partial separation may be utilized as an auxiliary drying means and pockets may be attached to the main drying portion of the towel for bottles and the like.

United States Patent Sondra Weiner 1400 W. Spruce CL, Milwaukee, Wis.53217 Feb. 11, 1970 Dec. 28, 1971 Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented BABYTOWEL 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 2/48 Int. Cl A4ld 13/04 Field of Search 2/49, 46, 48

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1950 Seidenbaum 2,563,4208/1951 Roe 2/49 R 2,722,685 11/1955 Lucas 2/49 R 2,879,514 3/1959Shapiro 2/48 Primary ExaminerA. R. Guest Attorney-Andrus, Sceales,Starke & Sawall ABSTRACT: A towel and apron to be worn when bathing aninfant and easily removable for drying. Towels varying in size and shapeare partially separated near a corner to form a collar to removablysecure in place around the neck with fasteners. The upper corner abovethe partial separation may be utilized as an auxiliary drying means andpockets may be attached to the main drying portion of the towel forbottles and the like.

PATENTEBIRE'BM 3,629,865

INVENTOR. SONDRA WEINER AZZXfipZ Attorneys BABY TOWEL BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to a combination apron and baby towelto be utilized in the process of washing and drying a baby and,particularly, a towel worn as an apron when washing which is easilyremovable for drying.

Washing and drying a baby has, in the past, been a cumbersome andsometimes dangerous task, particularly when the mother must coordinatelifting the baby from the bath and place a towel about the baby.Removing an infant from a bathinette prior to obtaining a towel permitsthe mother's clothing to become wet and allows water to randomly splashon adjacent surfaces. Furthermore, if one hand is required to hold orgrasp a towel, then only one hand remains to lift and hold the baby,which may be dangerous considering the wet and slippery condition of thebaby.

On the other hand, placement of a towel under the mothers chin beforelifting the baby from the bathinette is a cumbersome procedure in whichthe towel may drop and prompt the mother to remove one hand from thebaby and attempt to grasp the towel before it reaches the floor, thusendangering the infants safety. If the attempt at catching the towel inmidair is unsuccessful, the mother must stoop or bend to obtain thetowel or else utilize another towel.

Various wearing apparel have heretofore been made from towelingmaterial, but all present serious drawbacks in being cumbersome andawkward, particularly when they employ binding ropes, flaps orattachments used for fastening, extensions of toweling that areinfrequently used, and multiple attachments of hooks, snaps, or similartype fasteners. These additional items require unnecessary time and costof manufacture, become inconvenient and cumbersome during utilization,and frequently pose difficulties for laundering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a combination apronand drying towel which may be utilized in a baby drying process. Aconventional drying towel is partially separated or slit at one of itsextremities to form a main drying portion and an auxiliary dryingportion forming a collar therebetween. Such a collar may be placed aboutthe neck and secured by Velcro or corresponding type fasteners, as shownby Mestral, U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,235, dated Nov. 21, 1961, which providesimplified attachment and detachment of two elements, one containing anumber of closely spaced hooks of flexible, resilient material and theother containing a number of closely spaced loops of flexible, resilientmaterial and engaging each other in face to face relation to secure aconnection. The collar may be attached and removed using one hand andemploying light pressure. A towel incorporating the subject inventionmay easily be secured in place by placing the main drying portionagainst the chest and the auxiliary drying portion behind the neck andapplying only minimal pressure in securing a juncture between the twoVelcro tabs or other appropriate connectors consistent with thisinvention.

With the towel secured in place about the neck, the mother has freedomto utilize two hands in lifting and securing the baby from thebathinette, and the likelihood of slippage or other accident resultingfrom the wet condition of the baby is greatly reduced. The baby may beplaced against the mother's chest on the main drying portion of thetowel to allow the lower part of the main drying portion to be securedabout the baby, thereby facilitating drying while simultaneously keepingthe baby warm. The mother may simply remove the towel from about herneck by exerting only minute outward pressure with one hand upon theauxiliary drying portion to separate the fasteners. The auxiliary dryingportion is therefore free to dry the babys face and the towel with thebaby secured within may be safely transferred to a crib or othersuitable surface.

The uniqueness of the present invention is adaptable to conventionaltowels of various sizes and shapes without requiring pleating or otherspecial forming. Excessive toweling is eliminated since there is norequirement for flaps or extensions. Furthermore, the absence of flaps,extensions, binding ropes, buttons, metal hooks, or the like allow easylaundering with reduced wear and damage to the towel. The use ofconnectors, such as Velcro fasteners, provide flexibility in allowingadjustable connections for different diameter necks and ease ofoperation in requiring only minimal pressure in securing and detachingthe connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings furnished herewithillustrate the best mode presently contemplated by the inventor andclearly disclose the above advantages and features as well as otherswhich will be readily understood from the detailed description thereof.

In the Drawings:

FIG. 1. is a plan view of a square towel showing a main drying portionand a partially separated auxiliary drying portion;

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. I only employing a triangular drying towel;

FIG 3 is similar to FIG. I only employing a circular drying towel; and

FIG. 4 shows the placement of the towel upon a person and therelationship of the baby thereto.

The drawings illustrate a drying towel 1 made from terrycloth or similarconventional drying material as used with babies. Drying towel 1 has amain drying portion 2 and an auxiliary drying portion 3 partiallyseparated by a cut 4.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a corner 5 formed by two sides 6 and 7 of dryingtowel I. Cut or separation 4 is formed in side 7 and is perpendicular toa line bisecting corner 5. The initial point of incision 8 is generallymade at about 8 to 10 inches from comer 5 along side 7. The depth ofincision to point 9 should be greater than one-half of the desired neckcircumference in order to allow collar formation. The depth of incisionand the initial point of incision are interdependent and vary accordingto the dimensions and shape of the comer and the desired neckcircumference.

Two Velcro tabs 10 and II, as taught by Mestral, U.S. Pat. No.3,009,235, dated Nov. 21, 1961, are attached to drying towel 1, with tab10 attached to main drying portion 2 near incision point 8 and tab 11oppositely attached on the reversed side of auxiliary drying portion 3near incision point 8, both aligned to correspond with each other makinga secure connection when so disposed.

Employment of drying towel l as an apron or protective device as shownin FIG. 4 encompasses placing the main drying portion 2 against thechest I2 with auxiliary drying portion 3 placed behind the neck 13.Drying towel 1 may be secured about neck 13 by compressing tab 11 to tab10 with light to moderate pressure to make a secure connection to formthe completely enclosed collar 14. Velcro tabs 10 and 11 aresufficiently long to permit variations in collar circumference forflexible use. When towel l is secured in place about neck 13, a baby canbe conveniently and safely removed from a bathinette with both hands andplaced upon the mother's chest 12 and therefore upon main drying portion2. With the baby securely held to chest 12 with one hand, the lower partof main drying portion 2 may be placed over the baby's back 15 to dryand provide warmth. The free hand 16 may also detach tab 11 from tab 10to allow auxiliary drying portion 3 to be removed from collar formation14 and used to dry the babys face. The baby wrapped within drying towel1 may then be placed upon a bed or table or as desired to allow changingor further drying.

Pockets 17, as shown in FIG. I, may be employed to store items such asbaby bottles, powder containers, and the like for convenient use.

FIG. 2 further illustrates the employment of the subject invention in atriangular shaped towel, and FIG. 3 illustrates the employment of thesubject invention in a round or irregularly shaped towel. In theinstance of a round towel, cut or separation 4 may be taken on a chordto allow a maximum area for main drying portion 2 while stillmaintaining sufficient collar size.

The present invention thus provides an inexpensive and easily attachableapron and baby towel which eliminates ex.- cessive toweling, tabs, andhard to manage fastening devices and which is easily adaptable toconventional drying towels. Various modes of carrying out the inventionare contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims,particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matterwhich is regarded as the invention.

Iclaim:

l. A drying towel for drying an infant, comprising an absorbent sheethaving a pair of relative straight converging side edges joined at acorner, said sheet having a slot located adjacent the corner andextending from a first of said side edges toward the second of said sideedges and terminating in spaced relation to said second side edge, saidslit dividing said sheet into a main drying portion and an auxiliaryportion, and fastening means for attaching said main drying portion andsaid auxiliary portion to form a collar.

2. The towel of claim 1, and including a pocket to receive and holdobjects and located adjacent the first side edge and spaced asubstantial distance from said slit.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said fastening means comprises afirst and a second pressure responsive connector, one of said connectorsattached to said main drying portion and the other of said connectorsattached to said auxiliary portion, said first and said secondconnectors being arranged with respect to each other so that when joinedthey form a collar to enclose the neck.

4. The structure of claim 2 in which said first connector includes anumber of closely spaced hooks of flexible, resilient material and saidsecond connector includes a number of closely spaced loops of flexible,resilient material and engaged with the hooks when in face to facerelation to secure a connection.

5. The structure of claim 1 in which said slit is perpendicular to aline bisecting said corner and extends from said one side edge beyondsaid line,

1. A drying towel for drying an infant, comprising an absorbent sheethaving a pair of relative straight converging side edges joined at acorner, said sheet having a slot located adjacent the corner andextending from a first of said side edges toward the second of said sideedges and terminating in spaced relation to said second side edge, saidslit dividing said sheet into a main drying portion and an auxiliaryportion, and fastening means for attaching said main drying portion andsaid auxiliary portion to form a collar.
 2. The towel of claim 1, andincluding a pocket to receive and hold objects and located adjacent thefirst side edge and spaced a substantial distance from said slit.
 3. Thestructure of claim 1 in which said fastening means comprises a first anda second pressure responsive connector, one of said connectors attachedto said main drying portion and the other of said connectors attached tosaid auxiliary portion, said first and said second connectors beingarranged with respect to each other so that when joined they form acollar to enclose the neck.
 4. The structure of claim 2 in which saidfirst connector includes a number of closely spaced hooks of flexible,resilient material and said second connector includes a number ofclosely spaced loops of flexible, resilient material and engaged withthe hooks when in face to face relation to secure a connection.
 5. Thestructure of claim 1 in which said slit is perpendicular to a linebisecting said corner and extends from said one side edge beyond saidline.